Innocence
by dr100
Summary: Rose Tyler is dead and there's nothing the Doctor can do yet while willing to let his new found friends go, he tries to make sense of what is and what has changed.  Series Three – of The Adventures of the Eleventh Doctor.
1. Chapter 1

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

* * *

><p>The Doctor skipped about the console room enthusiastically. He smiled and pulled a lever and winked to Rose Tyler.<p>

"Blimey," he said, scratching his back, both arms tangled behind his back. "If only you were here with me now!"

He pulled his hands free and reached into his pockets. "Now where was I?" he said, pulling yet another lever.

He frowned and turned away from the image that lingered. He marvelled at the image. Rose Tyler was an image.

"The Great Exhibition!" he proclaimed. "Hyde Park… Oh Yes!"

Amy and Rory joined him in the console room. He gave them a wave to signal he was fine and for them to come and join him. He was unusually silent. He pressed controls and reset coordinates. He frowned again.

"No… no… not the Great Exhibition because that would be boring!" he muttered.

The Doctor turned to where Rose had been standing but she had disappeared. He did begin to wonder where she had got to.

"No… you're right," he said, turning to Amy and then Rory. "NO!" he raved.

"What's wrong?" asked Amy in a sudden reaction, one hand on the console, the other resting on his shoulder.

"Rose Tyler…" he said. "Trapped… forever and completely behind a curtain of deceit and catastrophe," he replied."

"What are you talking about?" yapped Rory. "You're not making any sense."

"Of course I am," he said. "You're just not listening. She's dead!" he said, and there were tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," said Amy. "Who was she?"

"A friend," said the Doctor. "Now please leave me… I'm busy!"

"Since when…?" Amy demanded. "I want to know what you're up to!"

"You always do Pond, you always do! I'm taking you home!"

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>"Why?" she asked. "What have we done?"<p>

The Doctor sighed.

"You're in the way I'm afraid!"

"Hardly!" she insisted.

"She's right, Doctor!" insisted Rory. "What have we done?"

"I'm bored," he said, regretfully. "I've moved on!"

"Or are you?" asked Rory.

"Look here," said the Doctor. "I'm taking you home, and I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what exactly?" she replied.

"Sorry for the bother."

The TARDIS arrived home in Leadworth.

"Come along," he insisted ushering Amy and Rory out. "Off you go!"

"Doctor… you're confused," she said, pleading with him. "Don't do this… please!"

He was cold. He didn't reply. He was tired. He wanted more but it had come to this.

"Please leave!" he said.

"NO!" she replied.

"Please don't do this!" he repeated. "Rory… tell her!" he begged.

Rory shook his head and passed him back aboard the TARDIS. Amy was close behind him and together they shut the doors on him. He turned about annoyed. He began thumping his fists on the wood of the blue box.

"Open this door!" he demanded.

"Not until you tell us what's wrong!" they cried.

"I will tell you," he said.

Amy pulled the door forward and let him in.

"What's bothering you?" she asked him, expecting him to say.

"Nothing," he said. "That was just a clever line to persuade you to open up and it worked, - hurrah… now… stay out of my way!"

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>"Not until you tell us what's wrong," Rory insisted. "Why are you behaving this way?"<p>

The Doctor turned to him miserably.

"It's come to this has it?" he asked him. "You refuse to do as I ask so long as it pleases you!"

"No…" replied Amy, rushing up to him from across the console room. "You're mistaken."

"It doesn't matter," he said, setting coordinates. "We must leave at once!"

"Where are we heading, Doctor?" asked Amy.

"Away from here," he said.

"Do you mean the TARDIS?" replied Rory.

"I do."

"But why Doctor?" they asked.

"I will tell you when we arrive."

"Where are we going?"

"Ha-ha – wait and see!" he declared.

It was over. His travels were at an end. He was miserable. This was it. The Doctor would leave his TARDIS once and for all.

"But why would you do this?" Amy demanded. "Why would you leave all this behind?"

"Because I must," he confessed. "We've arrived."

The Doctor left the console room and stepped outside. Amy appeared beside him and Rory was close behind her.

"Now will you tell us why you're leaving all this behind? Why you feel you must go on?" she whispered. "It's wrong," she continued. "I've never seen you act this way, it's as though you're not yourself?" She rubbed her shoulder against him.

The Doctor stared at her miserably.

"It's what I must do," he said. "It _has_ come to this!"

"Where are we?" asked Rory intervening somewhat. "Is this Earth?"

"Yes it is," said the Doctor. "Can't you tell?" He smiled. "The grass is green and the sky is blue and…"

"Yes Doctor, I should have realised," said Rory. "There's no need to go on like this!"

"Like what?" he replied. "I'm fine, look at me, I'm absolutely fine!"

"You're not," said Amy. "You're ill, I know you are!"

"No…" said Rory. "If the Doctor were ill, we'd know about it! Remember that time…"

The Doctor spun about agitatedly.

"Yes alright Rory, we'd need not go there!" he declared. "I'm not ill either!"

"So what is wrong?" she asked.

"This predicament I'm in!"

To be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>"What predicament are you in exactly?" wondered Amy. "You're making little sense. Why not just tell us?"<p>

"Because then I'd be endangering you too," he said. "This is all my fault."

He leant on the TARDIS in discussion with his two friends.

"I must give up everything to remain who I am on the inside… a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. Not another man from this world who remains a simple yet ordinary gentleman," and he paused suddenly. "Yes… I do consider myself a gentleman," he said, clearly somewhat troubled. "Thing is…" he went on. "…none of this concerns either of you," and this he whispered. "I love you to bits but this I must do alone, I'm sorry."

"What have you done?" she persisted. "I must know! We must know!"

Rory nodded in agreement. He too awaited an answer. This was important. It was important that he and Amy knew what was going on.

The Doctor finally gave in. He sighed a little and then put on a brave face and smiled. His smile was sincere.

"There was a visitor aboard the TARDIS you missed shortly before you arrived and she left a message," he explained.

"Who was it?" asked Rory. "There was no one onboard when we arrived," he repled.

"After you arrived… she had disappeared," said the Doctor. "I thought it odd at the time."

"Who was it?" Amy repeated. "Surely you know?"

"I do," he said, reluctantly. "Rose Tyler," he answered. "A friend, _no…_ more than a friend… _sometimes_," he murmured. "…and she said the barriers have collapsed and all of time and space is at an end!"

Rory looked about himself at the world around him at present. All was calm and pleasant. The Doctor shook his head and explained, - "Not this world but her own, well… not her own but her father who remains attached somewhat…" he paused, and then explained again that _'it was a long story'_, and then added that, "…she belongs to this time but remains trapped in a parallel of this world."

Amy and Rory were equally stunned. They stared at the Doctor somewhat flabbergasted.

There was something on Amy's mind and she stepped forward and asked what she deeply felt was the most important question she would ever happen to ask this man, a friend from so long ago, another lover and aside from Rory asking her to marry him, she delivered her question unto the Doctor.

He frowned and asked her to repeat it.

"Do you love her?" she asked him.

"Who?" he replied, taken by surprise.

Amy shook her head, and frowned back.

"Rose Tyler," she said. "Do you love her?"

To be continued…


	5. Chapter 5

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>The Doctor sighed.<p>

"I guess this is goodbye," said Rory.

"I guess so," said the Doctor. "But it's been fun!"

"It has," said Rory. "I'm going to miss this."

"Doctor, please…" Amy sneered. "You can't leave us behind!"

"I must Amy… don't you see… this is important!" He turned to Rory and smiled. "With your permission?" he asked.

"Of course," he said. Rory watched as the Doctor took Amy in his arms.

"If the barriers are down," he said, carefully. "…then this is serious, and if Rose is involved then I must act fast!"

Their company was at an end. Their travels were over. The Doctor shook Rory by the hand and wished him and Amy all the luck in the world. He crept back inside the old wooden box and dematerialised. The TARDIS disappeared in an instant.

It was all chaos and destruction as the Doctor steered the TARDIS through to the parallel dimension. You didn't arrive there by choice however and with time and space no more it was difficult to tell if the dimension existed at all.

The Doctor no longer skipped about the console room. He was deadly serious. As he pushed leavers and re-jigged controls, he held on tight as the TARDIS swung to the left and to the right. He slipped and he fell backwards when the doors to ship burst open and suddenly he found himself clinging on to the doorframe itself as he and his ship spun through what remained of the space-time vortex.

"NO!" he bellowed.

It was too late. He was unable to hold on and he let go. He plummeted from his ship, watching as it zoomed overhead, on and on until it was out of sight.

He never stopped falling. Until it sunk in he was in a dead time, he shut his eyes, not completely out of necessity.

The Doctor was dead.

To be continued…


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>The Doctor had arrived.<p>

A girl knelt at his side. She frowned, unable to tell if it was him or not.

"Doctor... is it you?" she whispered. "I'm sorry, I…"

He stirred suddenly. His eyes flickered and gazed up at a girl he recognised.

"Rose…" he said, quietly observant. "Where are we?"

He sat up straight. He searched for an answer. The girl sat back and stared at the man. The man she didn't quite seem to recognise.

"Pete's world," she replied.

"So you called it Pete's world?" he cheered. "Are you okay?"

Rose smiled. She sensed it was him but wasn't quite so sure.

"Thank you," she said, not in response to his question.

The Doctor sighed and held Rose in his arms as they stood and embraced.

"I thought I'd never see you again," she explained, "… and when both worlds fell, I knew I had to call on your assistance!"

"But how did you find me?" he asked. "It's not like I have an address. Time and Space is my free travel card."

"Bad Wolf Bay," she said.

She saw him smile with glee.

"I stood on the beach in the harsh wind, facing the same direction I first made contact with you so, so long ago and at the exact angle," she replied, - "…with a little help from my Torchwood associates."

"Excellent!" he said. "Well done!" He surveyed his surroundings. Pete's world never looked so dull. He and Rose were in a dark empty room all on their own. It was quiet, _'way too quiet'_ – he observed.

"Tell me," he said, ruffling his hair, and striding forward with the unease of his fall. "This world shouldn't exist and yet it does. I want to know how that is so!"

"We made do," said Rose. "In your absence, the world remained an unbalanced wreck. We had to survive and so Torchwood installed your TARDIS between this world and the next."

The Doctor wasn't sure that would hold but it would do for now.

"Very good," he admitted.

"But never mind all that," said Rose. "I thought I'd lost you!" she began. "You were dead when we found you!"

"Oh my hearts fluttered, that's all…" he explained. "But I'm fine, trust me Rose Tyler, I'm in good health, I assure you."

"Good!" she declared. "Then let's get to work!"

To be continued...


	7. Chapter 7

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

* * *

><p>He and Rose were met by faces of old as they appeared all around them boxing them in. The Doctor didn't understand. As Pete, Jackie, Mickey, and Jake slipped into the enclosed space, Rose revealed some dark secrets.<p>

He turned to her; saw her in all her beauty, and back to his friends. But there was something not quite right. He sensed there was something wrong. Something so small it was almost forgotten.

Then he realised. Their appearances were lost. They were almost transparent. This was how they could disappear and reappear and how Rose had escaped the TARDIS. Rose Tyler was dead. Her family was dead and her friends too.

"I don't understand!" he protested. "I want answers!"

"So ask the question," said Rose, so full of rage he finally understood.

"You shouldn't exist," he said. "So what have you done to save yourself from this time?"

"I don't understand," she replied. "What are you talking about?"

"When I fell from the TARDIS, I realised then this world shouldn't exist. The time vortex is no more, time and space are irretrievable, and the world is suffering from dead time, time that exists never mind those who have perished because they too survive."

"Yes, that's right," said Pete in agreement. "We used your TARDIS to bridge the time lines from this world to the real world. Time has passed through that of your ship and given us some form of existence."

"So you're not only non existent yourselves!" he started, "but while draining the real world's life support, you're putting them at risk too!"

"So you would rather us all perish?" replied Rose.

"It's not like that at all," said the Doctor. "If there was a way of saving you, I'd be all for it but somehow a dead time as far as I'm aware cannot be undone unless…" he paused. He saw Rose sob into her sleeve and he quickly comforted her.

"You always knew how to upset me," she sniffled. "…and when you returned I hat thought we could start over but somehow I knew this could never last."

The Doctor held her in his grip with an arm around her waist. He held her steady. He shook his head and tried to make sense of the situation. He pulled away from her and marched up and down the spacious room.

"I wonder…" he mumbled, surveying his surroundings. He recognised them. "This is the Torchwood Tower!" he declared.

"Yes," said Mickey. "You fell through the void and we knew you would. When time and space fell, the Torchwood Tower powered down. But when Rose made contact with you we knew you would call!"

"…and of course you survived while having to power up the tower because like I said… none of you truly exist! If you were real… you'd have been sucked in!" He frowned somewhat. Something still wasn't right.

"What is it Doctor?" muttered Jackie. "I demand you tell me!"

"You better do as she says," said Pete.

"Don't I know it!" he remarked. "But this is still so very wrong and if you should succeed in restoring time and space to this world, you only ruin another. Why should you want to do that? No… something doesn't add up!"

To be continued…


	8. Chapter 8

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

* * *

><p>"Tell him the truth!" shouted Jake. He stepped forward with his pistol against Rose.<p>

"So shoot!" she said. "I'm dead nonetheless!"

"What is going on?" demanded the Doctor.

"We will retrieve all of time and space," she said. "There is nothing you can do!"

"What do you mean?" asked the Doctor. "How can you be so sure?"

"The TARDIS is ours. With the technology we possess… we can restore time!"

"But at a cost!" said the Doctor. "The real world will perish, you do know that?"

"It does not matter," said Jackie, protecting her daughter. "We cannot die!" she declared.

"But you're already dead!" he yelled. "You can't die twice!"

"So therefore we must live!" said Rose. "…and there's nothing you can do!"

The Doctor didn't understand.

"Why should you want this to go ahead? What have I not quite understood?"

"You are at a loss with both worlds Doctor!"

Jake stepped forward with a gun in his hand. Mickey ran forward and a shot was fired.

"NO!" he bellowed but realised he had in fact hurt no one. The bullet passed through Jake as if it missed him altogether. He felt nothing.

"You see!" said Jake, pleading with the Doctor. "We can't die!"

"So you want to live?" he demanded. "What about the rest of the population? Just because you work for Torchwood and have access to this worlds secrets means nothing to the rest of civilisation. I think you're being selfish!"

"So you condemn us?" barked Jackie. "Why should you of all people do this?"

"Because it's wrong," he said. "Don't you see… whatever happened here I think had to happen. There was no stopping it."

"I don't think so," cried Rose.

"So what did happen here?" demanded the Doctor.

"Time splintered as if by chance I did this…" she whispered.

"What do you mean you did this?" he muttered.

"I had to see you, "she explained. "It was soon after I made contact with you this occurred!"

The Doctor didn't believe what he was hearing.

"So you arranged this?" he said eventually. "… 'You had to see me so you found a way of doing so and because of this; you shattered the time and space barriers that separate this world from the real world. Rose Tyler… how could you?"

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I didn't mean to…" she trembled. "It was an accident!"

He wandered up and down while he tried to make sense of it all. He stopped and turned to her with angered by what she had done.

"What if I refuse to help you?" he said. "If I leave here and never return?"

"You can't," said Jake.

"Why not?" demanded the Doctor.

He took it out on Rose, staring her in the face but his anger was directed at Jake.

"Because the TARDIS is now the best of both worlds, and should you remove it… both worlds will perish."

"You mean the stability of both worlds?" he snapped. "How could you do this?"

To be continued…


	9. Chapter 9

Doctor Who: Innocence

_Mini - Series: By Nathan Mullins_

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><p>"Help us Doctor!" shrieked Jackie.<p>

"If I choose to assist you the real world will perish!" he exclaimed. "I can't!"

"And if you leave here… the real world will perish too!" declared Jake.

"It's a risk," he said. "A risk I must take!"

"I'm sorry!" said Rose. "I've said I'm sorry and still you wish to leave us? What can I do to possibly make you see this was all a mistake?"

"Close Bad Wolf Bay for good!" he decided. "You should retrieve time you lost when you visited me aboard the TARDIS!"

Rose was on it. The controls in the tower gave them access to the beach. Mickey helped her. Together, they cranked up the power to the beach and closed the portal. The image of the beach stretched and fizzled into nothingness.

"Good!" cheered the Doctor, rushing about frantically to save the situation. He ran forward towards his ship but Jackie intervened.

"My TARDIS holds power from this world and the next and that from the rift," he explained. "Should I dematerialise, I risk leaving a massive wound in the fabric of space and time. A wound that will never heal, but this may be a good thing!"

"What are you talking about?" groaned Mickey. "Surely if what you say will make matters worse, why go ahead with it?"

"Because when I leave, the power from the real world will remain both here and on the other side!"

"How exactly?" sneered Jackie.

"My TARDIS is just a connection... and when I leave there will be no connection. Time will drift endless from the real world to this time, but it will also remain a part of the real world, as it will do here."

"I don't understand?" yelped Pate. "You mean both worlds will remain in tact?"

"Yes I do," said the Doctor. "Now the portal is closed, I must leave so the barriers close and time heals."

"Wait!" whispered Rose, dragging him aside. "You can't go!"

"I must," he said. "I can't stay!"

"But I can't see you leave us like this!" she murmured. "Not again!"

"Rose Tyler…" he said, ashamed it had to end like this. "I'm sorry!"

He staggered back and closed the doors to the TARDIS behind him.

He dematerialised. It took a while. Rose Tyler wept in silence.

Aboard the TARDIS, the Doctor too thought about his actions. Meanwhile, he set coordinates for planet Earth.

On arrival, he peered out from his blue wooden box and surveyed his surroundings.

"Brilliant!" he remarked. "I've done it!"

The world was safe and time had healed. The grass was green and the sky was blue and the Doctor was in love with Rose Tyler.


End file.
